Apparatus for packing stockings



May 21, 1968 J. GRENOT 3,383,837

APPARATUS FOR PACKING STOCKINGS Filed March 8, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet l \E INVENTOR JH OK GRENOT 1 WW W W May 21, 1968 .1. GRENOT APPARATUS FOR PACKING STOCKINGS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 8, 1966 IN VENTIJR JHCK GRENOT y 1968 J. GRENOT. 3,383,837

APPARATUS FOR PACKING STOCKINGS Filed March 8, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR JACK GRENOT May 21, 1968 J. GRENOT 3,333,837

APPARATUS FOR PACKING STOCKINGS Filed March 8, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR JHCK GRENOT r United States Patent 13 Claims. c1. 53-390 The invention relates to an apparatus for packing stockings at a considerably more rapid rate than in the case of manual folding and involving a far lower investment of capital than when automatic machines are adopted. Furthermore, automatic machines of this type are designed for one single kind of folding operation, whereas the packing apparatus to which the invention relates renders it possible, by its actual design, to fold stockings in various different ways, ie the insert being folded lengthways or widthways and either with or without a pad.

The stocking packing apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated table of which the front part consists of one of its major sides, means for supporting an insert at an intermediate position along the front part of the top of the table in such a manner that the said insert results in a dihedral angle with a horizontal edge open towards the top, a magazine for inserts which is situated immediately to the rear of the insert supporting device, and also a stocking magazine and a sachet support positioned on the respective sides of the insert support.

As a result of this particular construction, of which the various constituent elements are carefully positioned in accordance with a detailed study of the movements involved, a considerable manual folding speed can be obtained.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description and to the attached drawings, which illustrate, by way of an example, a combined stocking packing unit in accordance with the invention.

In the said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram, in perspective, of an entire apparatus made in accordance with the invention for packing stockings on inserts folded widthways and with pads;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the insert and pad magazine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a profile view as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view corresponding to FIGURE FIGURE 5 is a schematic diagram, in perspective, of the same stocking packing unit for placing stockings on inserts folded lengthways and without the use of pads;

FIGURE 6 is a rear view of the insert support of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a profile view as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow VII of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a schematic diagram, in perspective, indicating how the insert support and an insert interacts with stockings to be processed in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 5;

FIGURES 9 and 10 are schematic views, in perspective, of two phases of the operating of packing stockings in the assembly such as shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 11 illustrates the use of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 5.

The stocking packing apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 consists essentially of a table 1, a stocking magazine 2,

3,383,837 Patented May 21, 1968 an insert support 3, an insert magazine 4, a pad magazine 5 and a sachet support 6. The table 1, the stocking magazine 2 and the insert support 3 belong to a first element 11, while the insert magazine 4 and the pad magazine 5 belong to a second element 12 and the sachet support 6 forms a third element.

The element 11 consists of a unit of which the plan view is a right angle, and the second element 12 is simply inserted in its internal angle. It is of constant height and preferably provided with a suitable covering, such as a sheet of knitted fabric secured to the edges by rods of semi-circular cross section, such as 15. The front part of the top of this unit constitutes, over the entire width of the latter, the working table 1, while the right-hand rear part forms the stocking magazine 2. The working table 1 is provided with a central longitudinal groove of V- shaped cross section, the two lateral walls of this groove forming the support 3 for the inserts, while the base of the groove forms an edge perpendicular to the front surface of this unit 11.

In the groove 3, and in the vicinity of the front part of the latter, there is a triangular vertical partition 17, which only extends to a certain height from the base of the groove and serves as a stop for positioning the insert in the forward direction.

The insert magazine 4 consists of the lateral walls of a groove of V-shaped cross section provided in the element 12 (see also FIGURES 2-4), the edges of the dihedral angle formed by the two inclined surfaces of the said groove being horizontal and parallel to the base of the said element when the latter occupies the position shown in FIGURE 1.

The inclined surfaces of the insert magazine 4 form a dihedral angle centred on the inclined surfaces of the insert support 3 of the element 11, but they are situated slightly higher up than the surfaces of the insert support. The groove forming the insert magazine 4 is closed at the rear by the vertical wall 20 of the element 12.

The rear surface of the block 12, in the position shown in FIGURES l-3, has an upper prolongation 21, the pad magazine 5 being fixed against the front surface of the latter and thus being situated in the upper part of the dihedral angle formed by the insert magazine 4. The pad magazine consists of a first inclined wall 5a, of a sufficient height to enable the pads to be suitably held, a base 5b and an edge 5c. The base of the element 12 and its front surface are preferably provided with a suitable cover, such as a piece of knitted fabric.

The rear surface of the element 11 forms, in its righthand part, which forms the stocking magazine 2, a prolongation 23 which extends upwards and of which the purpose is to prevent the stockings from falling towards the rear.

The third element 6, which forms the sachet support, is parallelepipedal in form and preferably situated a little higher up than the working table 1, and it is fitted into the angle formed by the corresponding surfaces of the said table and of the second element 12.

The packing apparatus shown in FIGURES 1-4 may be used as follows:

The stockings 26 to be processed are placed on the rear part of the table forming the magazine 2 (see FIG- URES 1 and 9), the magazine 4 is filled with inserts 27 and the magazine 5 with pads 28, and a pile of packing sachets 29 is also placed on the support 6. The operator takes a roll of stockings 26, unrolls it and places it fiat on the working table 1, as shown at 50, in such a way that the Welts and the toes are on opposite sides of the V-shaped groove 3. A pressure is exerted on the central part of the stockings in order to apply it against the walls of the said groove, and an insert 27 is taken from the magazine 4 and placed on the stockings in the insert support 3 formed by the aforementioned groove, between the stops formed by the vertical partition 17 and by the front surface of the element 12 respectively. The two ends of the two stockings from the top of the pile are suitably turned over and folded back inside the insert thus positioned, the latter is closed, and a pad 28 (FI URE 10) is placed fiat against the insert with its stocking, after which this assembly only has to be placed in a sachet 29.

With the same packing apparatus, in which the second element 12 is positioned differently (FIGURE 5) and in which the operator places an additional element 31, shown separately in FIGURES 6 and 7, the stockings can be processed in an alternative manner, i.e. with the insert folded lengthways instead of widthways.

For this purpose, the surface of the element 12 which constitutes the vertical rear surface in the assembly shown in FIGURE 1, takes the form of a flat rectangular dish 33 open at the front; this element is placed in the internal angle of the table 1 in such a manner that the said surface is on the top and surface which was at the bottom has now become the front surface of the said element.

In this position the dish 33 is slightly inclined downwards and towards the rear, in such a manner that the inserts 35 (FIGURE 11), which have a longitudinal folding line and are deposited in this dish, will not tend to slide forwards, i.e. towards the working table 1. The assembly is designed in such a way that the base of the dish 33 is at a little higher level than the said table.

The V-shaped groove 3 of the working table is not used, and the additional element 31, which is a new insert support, is placed in the upper part of the said table.

This new insert support consists of a rectangular tray 34 (FIGURES 6-8) having two inclined lateral surfaces 36 and 37 designed to come to rest, respectively, against the upper parts of the two inclined walls of the groove 3 of the table. Against the front edge of the tray 30 is affixed a vertical wall 41 which supports an upright 42 inclined upwards and forwards and provided at the top with a crosspiece 43 terminating in two tabs 44 and 45 forming two lateral stops for a flap of the insert. The two lateral edges of the tray 30 are provided, in the vicinity of their rear extremity, with two vertical tabs 48 and 49, likewise forming two lateral stops for the other fiap of the insert. Finally, a boss 51, formed by the upper edge of the vertical web of a small angle piece, of which the other web is fixed flat on the tray 30 in the vicinity of the righthand lateral edge of the said tray 30 when this element is in position, keeps the stockings and the insert raised, in order to make it easier for the insert, with its stocking, to be gripped, as will be seen further on. The element 31 is positioned in such a manner as to con-tact the surface which has now become the front surface of the element 12 (FIGURE 5).

The width of the insert support 31 obviously corresponds to that of the dish 33 which forms the insert magazine. This width also corresponds to that of groove 3, in the upper part of the latter.

To use the packing apparatus assembled as shown in FIGURE 5, the operator commences in the same manner as in the case of the apparatus assembled as shown in FIGURE 1, i.e. by placing a supply of stockings 26 (FI"- URE 11) on the magazine 2, a supply of inserts 35 in the dish 33, and a supply of sachets 29 on the support 6. A roll of stockings 36 is placed on the working table 1 and on the tray 30 of the insert support. An insert 35 is taken from the top of the magazine and placed on the support 31, between the positioning stops 44, 45, 43, 49.

The stocking is suitably folded over in and around this insert and the latter then folded over in itself after which all that is required is to place the entire assembly in a sachet 29.

it will be noticed that the boss 51 makes it easier for 4 the insert, with its stocking, to be gripped, as may be seen, in particular, in FIGURE 8.

When the apparatus is assembled as shown in FIG- URE 1, the insert support 31 is not used, and it is put away by attaching it by its upper cros-spiece 43 to the rear surface of the edge 23 of the stocking magazine, with two vertical studs 53.

Needless to say, the invention is not confined to the versions described and illustrated; numerous modifications can be made thereto without departing from the principles on which the invention is based.

For example, the apparatus assembled as shown in FIGURE 5 could also be combined with a pad support positioned suitably above the insert magazine 33, so that the said pads are within the operators reach and can be placed in the sachets at the same time as the inserts with their stockings, in a similar manner to the method adopted with the apparatus assembled as shown in FIGURE 1.

I claim:

1. A stocking packing apparatus comprising an elongated table of which the front part consists of one of its major sides, means for supporting a stocking insert at an intermediate position along the front part of the top of the table so that the said insert forms a dihedral angle with a horizontal edge open at the top, an insert magazine situated immediately to the rear of the insert support, and a stocking support and a sachet support situated on the respective sides of the insert magazine.

2. A apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert magazine is movable and fits into a wide notch on the rear surface of the table.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top of the table has a groove forming an insert support of V-shaped cross section, the edge thereof taking a direction perpendicular to the front of the table.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert magazine has two inclined surfaces forming a dihedral angle centered in respect of the dihedral angle of the insert support of the table and situated a little higher up than the said support.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert support consists of a flat tray which is designed and arranged to fit flush with the top of the said table into the upper part of a V-shaped groove cut into the top of the table in a direction at right angle to the front face of the table, said tray having a desk inclined upwards and towards the outside of the table and forming an obtuse dihedral angle with the tray, while the insert magazine takes the form of a fiat rectangular basket open at the front and inclined to a slight extent towards the rear.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tray for supporting the inserts and the desk of the said tray are equipped with stops for positioning the insert in a direction parallel to the edge of the dihedral angle formed by said tray and said desk.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a boss to facilitate the operation of raising the insert with its stocking is fixed to the top of the insert supporting tray in the vicinity of the centre of at least one of the two lateral edges of said tray.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert magazine has two inclined surfaces forming a dihedral angle centered in respect of the dihedral angle of the insert support of the table and situated a little higher up than the said support, said apparatus further comprising an additional insert magazine which takes the form of a fiat rectangular basket open at the front and inclined to a slight extent towards the rear, both said insert magazines belonging to one and the same movable unit of a substantially parallelepipedal shape, said additional insert magazine being situated on a surface perpendicular to the edge of the dihedral angle of the other insert magazine.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a magazine for pads is affixed above the magazine for the inserts.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a pad magazine which consists of a desk positioned on the upper part of the dihedral angle of the insert magazine.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the insert magazine has two inclined surfaces forming a dihedral angle centered in respect of the dihedral angle of the insert support of the table and situated a little higher up than said support, wherein a vertical partition which is positioned in the dihedral angle of the insert support and the front surface of the dihedral insert magazine respectively form two stops for positioning the insert.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 having a stocking magazine consisting of rear side part of the table,

the plan view of the said table being a right angle and the said stocking magazine being provided with a rear vertical edge for holding the stockings.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sachet support consists of a rear side part of the table in the form of a movable block positioned in the corner of the angle table.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,179 12/1938 'Wicklifie 53390 2,870,589 1/1959 Berry 53-117 X 2,925,693 2/1960 Boone 53-1 17 X TRAVIS S. 'MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

R. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STOCKING PACKING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TABLE OF WHICH THE FRONT PART CONSISTS OF ONE OF ITS MAJOR SIDES, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A STOCKING INSERT AT AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION ALONG THE FRONT PART OF THE TOP OF THE TABLE SO THAT THE SAID INSERT FORMS A DIHEDRAL ANGLE WITH A HORIZONTAL EDGE OPEN AT THE TOP, AN INSERT MAGAZINE SITUATED IMMEDIATELY TO THE REAR OF THE INSERT SUPPORT, AND 